Business: Equality

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence on the potential direct benefits to business she used to inform her decision to consult on repealing the statutory questionnaire procedure under section 138 of the Equality Act 2010.

Jo Swinson: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The impact assessment published in the consultation document on removing this provision took into account research prepared for the Government Equalities Office in June 2009.
	The research found that under the legislation which the Equality Act 2010 replaced, 9,000 to 10,000 businesses completed the "“answers forms” in response to the potential complainants' questions forms each year, taking five to six hours to complete in each case. This means that compliance with this provision required around 45,000 60,000 staff hours a year. Although we do not have evidence on usage of the forms prescribed under the Equality Act 2010, we have assumed that it remains broadly similar given that the format and purpose of the procedure remains unchanged. On this basis, the impact assessment estimated an annual cost to business of £1.3 million. If this provision were removed from the Equality Act, the costs associated with the tasks outlined above would potentially no longer be incurred, and this would therefore be a direct benefit to business.

Post Office Card Account

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of the number of people who have benefits paid into a Post Office card account by parliamentary constituency.

Mark Hoban: The information is not available in the format requested as data held relates to the number of payment accounts paid into a Post Office card account, rather than the number of people. A person may receive a separate payment for each benefit or pension they are entitled to, or a single, combined payment paid into their Post Office card account.
	Information showing the number of payment accounts paid into a Post Office card account by parliamentary constituency will be placed in the Library.

Ambulance Services: Airwave Service

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the use of the Airwave radio system by the Ambulance Service; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry: The Airwave radio system is used by all ambulance services in England, Scotland and Wales to communicate vital information between ambulances, their control rooms and the wider national health service. This includes both voice and data messages that are used to control the dispatch of ambulances to critically ill patients who require rapid access to healthcare.
	Airwave also provides interoperable communications between the ambulance service, the fire and rescue service and police forces, which is particularly important during large scale events and major incidents. Most recently Airwave has been used successfully as the primary communications tool for the emergency services the Olympic and Paralympic games.
	The performance of Airwave in delivering communications services to trusts is under regular, ongoing review by the Department.

Heart Diseases: Children

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department is ensuring that Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts officials are releasing non-confidential information regarding the recent Safe and Sustainable review into children's heart surgery services in England to local authorities.

Anna Soubry: My hon. Friend will be aware that the Safe and Sustainable review is a clinically led, national health service review, which is independent of Government. It is, therefore, for the Joint Committee for Primary Care Trusts to decide what information to release about the review and we are unable comment any further.

Medical Records: Veterans

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to include mention of a veterans' service in the health records maintained by general practitioners in order to raise awareness of the potential for combat-related stress.

Daniel Poulter: When a veteran has left the armed forces and re-enters the care of our national health service, they are asked during routine registration with a general practitioner (GP) if they are a patient returning from the armed forces. It is important to be aware however, that some veterans do not want to identify themselves as such.
	In addition, there is a current process where the patient, whilst still in the armed forces, is given a summary of his medical record at a pre-discharge medical, along with instruction to pass this onto his/her NHS GP on registration following their transition to civilian life.
	The form which is passed on to the NHS GP includes instructions as to how the GP can request a full medical record, with the patient's consent required for this. We recognise that there can be instances where the patient may lose, or perhaps forget to pass this form on.
	However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Department are working on a joint project, one aspect of which will strengthen this part of the process. At the moment, the medical record from pre-service is stored at an NHS back office for the duration of the patient's career in the services. When he/she returns to civilian life and registers with an NHS GP, the record from pre-service will be triggered back into circulation, though with no reference to the period whilst the patient was with the armed forces. The joint project will introduce new processes, which will mean that the record is updated to confirm that the patient has spend a period of time (dates provided) under the care of the Defence Medical Services (DMS). This infers that the individual may be a veteran, but it does not provide confirmation as it is down to the individual whether or not they wish to associate themselves as a veteran—the MoD will not do this. DMS also treats some civilians, so this really cannot be taken as confirmation. However, with the notification that the patient was cared for by DMS, along with any declaration on the patient registration form, this may provide a trigger for the GP to consider any special needs of the patient. The aim is not only to confirm that care was provided by DMS, but also to update the record with a summarised medical record from that period. The medical record summary exchange is . planned to begin in the second half of 2013.
	As far as reservists are concerned, their care is provided by the NHS except when they are on training or deployed, when their medical care becomes the responsibility of DMS.
	Finally, the Department has funded an e-learning package. The package is hosted on the Royal College of General Practitioners website and allows GPs to equip themselves with further information about veterans' health conditions in general, and act accordingly. The aim is to help increase awareness amongst GPs of the conditions associated with service.

Ducks: Animal Welfare

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the research funded by his Department on duck farming, if he will take steps to raise the minimum welfare standards for ducks farmed for meat.

David Heath: The Government is committed to improved standards of welfare of all livestock. The welfare of ducks is provided for in the general provisions of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007. DEFRA also has a duck welfare code which keepers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with, which encourages high standards of husbandry.
	DEFRA completed a three-year research project in 2007 to assess whether farmed ducks needed bathing water and if so, how it should be provided. The findings of this research were built on, with the RSPCA, academics and the duck industry, to look at how water could be provided to ducks in a commercial setting, whilst being mindful of the risk to biosecurity. DEFRA took an active part in the accompanying RSPCA 'Higher Duck Welfare Programme' steering group. As a result of this collaborative approach, duck welfare standards have been raised as both the RSPCA's Freedom Foods scheme and the industry's own Duck Assurance Scheme have ensured that their standards reflect the latest research.
	DEFRA welcomes the availability of duck meat products reared to a range of standards which meet the law and allows consumers to make their own choice in purchasing.

Financial Services: Taxation

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the revenue which would be generated by a 0.01 per cent levy on financial transactions in the City of London; and what estimate he has made of the likely level of lost revenue to the Exchequer.

Greg Clark: The EU Commission published proposals for an EU. financial transactions tax (FTT) on 28 September 2011. Under this proposal, the tax rate would be 0.1% for equity and bond trades, and 0.01% for derivative trades—this tax would apply to each financial institution that is party to the financial transaction.
	The Explanatory Memorandum to Parliament on this proposal of 12 October 2011 sets out the Government's estimate that over half of the FTT revenues raised across the EU would derive from activity in the UK, amounting to around £26 billion per year. This figure, does not take account of several factors likely to reduce Exchequer yield including loss of stamp duty revenues, reductions in corporation tax receipts from the sector and reduction in tax revenues as a whole due to the growth impacts of tax.
	There is a risk that any short-term revenue gains from a FTT will be eroded in the longer-term through the wider economic impacts of the tax and reductions in revenue as activity shifts away from the EU in response to the tax. Overall, it is possible that the tax might raise no additional money at all for the Exchequer.
	The Government believes that any financial transaction tax would have to apply globally to avoid transactions relocating to those countries not applying the tax.

Pay

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the highest paid position is in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's agencies.

Jo Swinson: Information on the salaries of those on the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) Board is published in the BIS annual report. The highest paid position in BIS is the chief executive of the shareholder executive.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to my hon. Friend directly.
	Letter from Ann Lewis, dated 17 September 2012
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 14 September 2012, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UIN 121617.
	The highest paid position in Companies House is that of the Chief Executive and Registrar of Companies.
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 1 October 2012
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 14 September 2012, UIN 121617 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	My position is the highest paid in the Met Office. Details of the pay of senior Directors at the Met Office can be found in the Remuneration Report contained in the Met Office Annual Report and Accounts:
	http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/library/publications/corporate
	Letter from David Williams, dated 17 September 2012
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, asking what the highest paid position is in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's agencies. (121617)
	The highest paid position in the UK Space Agency, an executive agency of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills is that of the Chief Executive Officer.
	Letter from Malcolm Dawson, dated 19 September 2012
	I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to your Parliamentary Question 121617 tabled on 14 September 2012 which asked the following:
	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the highest paid position is in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's agencies.
	I can confirm that the highest paid position in Land Registry is that of Chief Land Registrar and Chief Executive.
	Letter from Kim Thorneywork, dated 5 October 2012
	Thank you for your question in asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the highest paid position is in his Department and his Department's agencies.
	Please be advised that the highest paid position within the Skills Funding Agency is the Chief Information Officer and Executive Director of Information Management.
	Letter from Richard Judge, dated 4 October 2012
	The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, what the highest paid position is in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's agencies.
	The highest paid position in The Insolvency Service is the post of Inspector General/Agency Chief Executive.
	Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence, dated 1 October 2012
	As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to reply to you in response to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills “what the highest paid position is in (a) his Department and (b) his Department's agencies”.
	The highest paid position within Ordnance Survey is that of the Director General and Chief Executive, who is the Accounting Officer for the organisation. However, the highest paid individual currently in Ordnance Survey is filling the position of Director of Finance and Corporate Services. This is because the individual in question is an interim manager who will be leaving shortly. His replacement, who has already been appointed, will be earning less than the Director General and Chief Executive Officer.
	Letter from Peter Mason, dated 5 October 2012
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 14 September 2012, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about the highest paid position.
	The highest paid position in the National Measurement Office is that of Chief Executive. Details of the remuneration can be found on page 25 of the Annual Report under the following web link:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/nmo/docs/about-us/key-docs/nmo-annual-report-and-accounts-2011-12-website-version.pdf
	Letter from Sean Dennehey, dated 5 October 2012
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 14th September 2012, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is an Executive Agency of BIS. The highest paid position in the IPO is that of the Chief Executive.

Post Offices

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of post offices which will provide (a) vehicle tax disc renewals, (b) driving licences, (c) passport applications and check and send and (d) collections of biometric data for residence permits; and what criteria will be used to determine which post offices offer such services.

Jo Swinson: The availability of specific Government services across the post office network is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd and the Departments and agencies it works with. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, chief executive of Post Office Ltd, to respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Postal Services: Rural Areas

Andrew Bingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the decision on the Post Office tender for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency services and the wider effect that any decision to place the tender elsewhere would have on the viability of the post office network, particularly in rural areas.

Jo Swinson: The Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency is currently procuring a number of counter services. As would be expected, this is being done in line with EU procurement regulations, so it would not be appropriate for me to discuss the outcome of this live procurement with the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Derbyshire Dales (Mr McLoughlin).
	More broadly, Government have allocated £1.34 billion of funding for Post Office Ltd to refresh and modernise its network. As a condition of Government's funding, Post Office Ltd must continue to adhere to strict access criteria which include specific provision for access in rural areas. The Post Office's commercial strategy also requires it to grow crucially important new revenues to reach a more sustainable financial position. In this respect, it is pleasing to note that both the business's total revenues (excluding subsidy) and also its revenues from Government services grew during 2011/12 for the first time in many years.